Octopus of ‘Monopoly’ by John Tenniel published in Punch, or the London Charivai, November 3rd,1888. The octopus of “Monopoly” attempts to upset the boat of oar-wielding ‘Commerce’ (wearing the winged hat of Hermes or Mercury?). The octopus’s limbs are: ’salt’, ‘iron’, ‘copper’, and ‘cotton’. The boat is called: “Free Competition” (A case of ‘bad’ versus […]
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‘The Irish Devil-Fish’ by Sir John Tenniel, published in Punch, or the London Charivai, June 18th 1881. The captions read: ’ “The creature is formidable, but there is a way of resisting it, *** The Devil-fish, in fact, is only vulnerable through the head” Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea, Book IV., Ch. iii.’1. The […]
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Jules Grandjouan:“qu’elle ait un bonnet de république ou une couronne, c’est toujours la même bête, et il n’y a que le syndicat pour la tuer” (it has a Republic cap or a crown it is still the same beast, and there is the union to kill)1. I have no context or dates (at the moment). […]
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The following is a selection of octopuses with maps (or maps with octopuses). States are most typically represented as octopuses when it comes to maps, however, Landlords, Jews and Free Masons have also been shown as octopuses juxtaposed with cartography. I have excluded octopuses on globes for this selection, as the symbolism differs from a […]
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Les Monopoles (Carrère, P. ~1919, Published by: Chachoin for Union des interets economiques) The return of the red pieuvre: l’Etat monopole (state monopolies) or Etatiste (statist). I have included “l’Etat Monopole” beneath “Les Monopoles” to compare the two. Both with the red octopus, most of the figures are represented in both, they are, essential the same image. “LES MONOPOLES […]
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Franc-Maçonnerie Pieuvre (1905) Edit (15th Mar 2009): printed in 1905 during the Affaire des Fiches (Thank you to J.M. Navarro for providing provenance for the poster). Original post:- A poster produced for The Octopus – an illustrated propaganda sheet – that shows a Jewish/Free Mason octopus squatting over France. The year and artist is unknown for this […]
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“La Guerre est l’Industrie Nationale de la Prusse”, 1917 translates as “War is Prussia’s National Industry”. This World War I French poster that shows the expansion of the German and Prussian military. The octopus – wearing a pickelhaube helmet – is superimposed on the map1 with its tentacles throughout Europe and Asia Minor. In addition […]
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Landlordism: a vampiric octopus (Northrop, circa 1910) This postcard copyright by W B Northrop shows the octopus of “Landlordism” – renting out a property (or absent landlord) – with its arms enclosing parts of London. In the enclosures are the names of the landlords and their earnings from rent. An interesting aspect to this, is according […]
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A short post to point out this article (in French): Moncelet, C. (2003) Ridiculosa N°10, Les Animaux pour le dire, Université de Bretagne occidentale/ Université de Limoge, p. 43-60. Moncelet notes the pieuvre or monstrous octopus originates with Victor Hugo’s “Travailleurs de la Mer” (Toilers/Workers of the Sea). I find this interesting as I am […]
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“The English Octopus: It feeds on nothing but gold” by (or published by) William “Coin” Hope Harvey was published in Coin’s Financial School 1894. It shows the “Rothschild” octopus either squatting on or replacing the UK. It has dendritic limbs that stretch over the globe/map1 into gold producing areas which also show national debts amongst […]
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